1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the art of photopheresis treatment of blood without inhibiting the mobility of the patient and more specifically deals with portable apparatus adapted to be worn by a patient which will irradiate blood as it flows between an artery and a vein and to a process of treating autoimmune diseases in a closed loop blood circulating system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore photopheresis blood treatment has been extracorporeal and has required cumbersome apparatus which incapacitates the patient and contacts the blood with external treating agents. This type of treatment requires external power sources to energize pumps, ray emitting lamp bulbs, cooling devices and the like. Since the treatment is usually quite prolonged, the patient must undergo a somewhat traumatic dehabilitating experience in a treatment center such as a hospital and contacting the blood with external treating agents exposes the patient to infection and disease.
It would therefore be an improvement in this art to provide photopheresis blood treatment apparatus which is completely portable and can be worn by the patient to accommodate free unrestricted normal activities without discomfort.
It would be a further improvement in this art to provide continuous photopheresis treatment of blood in a closed sterile loop without contacting the blood with treating agents.
It would be a specific improvement in this art to eliminate heretofore required cumbersome equipment and blood contacting agents for photopheresis blood treatment.